The Eight

Chapter 5 - Not Part Of The Plan

Abbie folded her arms and defiantly shook her head. "No way am I sharing a tent with Alex."

"Agreed," he said. The others were still laughing, but eventually Cera wiped the the tears from her eyes and suggested another idea.

"Wait. Because Alex brought such a big tent, me and Chloe could sleep in that one and there would be room for Abbie too. Alex could have my pop-up tent."

Alex and Abbie quickly agreed and went with the other two to shift their stuff. That left Cherry sunning herself on a rock, Breanna drawing heat for her power from another rock, Jodie lying comfortably on the grass and Sofia unpacking in her tent, muttering to herself. The sun was burning down and the coconut scent of the gorse all around them wafted on the summer air. It was so peaceful, their chosen spot, a dip with a gorse-topped cliff on one side, and thick forest all around. The birds sat quietly preening themselves, and the beasts were lounging in various places around the camp. Everyone was wary of Sofia since she killed someone, but they knew that her owl and lion had helped her and urged her on. The owl had actually eaten part of the body, and the lion ate the rest. That was very unsettling and everyone steered clear of them too.

When evening fell they ate some of the sandwiches they had packed as a sort of dinner as the animals went off to hunt.

They had made a small campfire and the light was comforting as a thunderstorm rolled up from the south. This worried them - would their parents come to the place they were supposed to be? They really hoped not. It should be safe where they were, and the birds would be fine if they stayed low, although they were unable to go into the tents since they were each about the size of a small car.

It got darker, though it took a while since it was the middle of summer.

Suddenly the animals sat up in alarm. A figure appeared in the trees, visible enough for the friends to pick out trainers, Canterburys and a navy blue fleece.

"Is that-" Cera whispered. "Mr Jeffries?!"

(A/N - another inside joke, sorry. It's pretty ridiculous.)

He smiled. "Hello, children. Come into my white van with me - I have sweets!"

Everyone backed to their tents immediately, some with powers ready.

"It's ok," Alex reassured everyone. "I'll deal with this." He moved forward and furrowed his brow, concentrating fiercely. Mr Jeffries slowly began to turn and walk away with a little creepy wave over his shoulder, a smile still on his face. Then he was gone into the gloom, presumably back to his dodgy white van.

That finished, Alex slumped to the ground, exhausted. A small bruise had appeared on his forehead and Chloe took no time in healing it.

After that unsettling incident, the friends quickly got changed into their pyjamas and settled in their tents with the land animals. They would come out again at midnight for a midnight feast, but for now all they could do was lie and listen to the thunder and the occasional squeal from the tent with Cherry, Jodie and Breanna as they scared themselves and each other.

Near midnight, they all crept out of their tents with bags of sweets clutched in their hands. The birds moved forward near the rekindled fire, and the friends entwined their hands in feather and fur. That's how they were when it happened. A pulse of white light flowed over their camp, engulfing everything in blinding white. Everyone screamed as another wave came, pushing them flat on the ground and holding them there as the light became more vibrant, more insistent until the world was nothing but white.

Then, suddenly, blackness opened up in that pale, endless space and drew them to it, their bodies sliding across the ground and the suddenly cold ashes of the deadened fire, towards that gaping blackness and, as the white raged around them, they were sucked into that black hole, that tear in time itself and deposited on a hard, black surface that gleamed even without any light.

Everyone slowly got up and took in their surroundings. It wasn't much - endless blackness as far as the eye could see, broken only by the glints of light on the black ground. Nothing. No landmarks, no plants or animals, no people, nothing to show that anyone or anything had ever been here. Just that endless dark.

They all huddled together, eyes wide and mouths closed. Saying nothing. They were shaken, scared and very, very far from home.